Weakling
by CrimsonAccent
Summary: A look into the great Kyuubi's mind and why he would ever call someone a kit.


Ok, this is just to let you know I'm alive. I was going through old documents and found this. Please enjoy!

Weakling

The great Kyuubi, when he started to call his vessel "kit" did not do it because he cared for the boy. He did it because he hated him. He was the spawn of the blond who had imprisoned him; sealed his fate as it were. It was a taunt, and the fox demon knew that the brat knew it was a taunt; a kit was a weakling-a helpless infant. And possibly more importantly, that meant the kitsune viewed Naruto as a young fox: not a human being. It reminded the boy of the glares and how everyone else thought he was a monster.

That sometimes, looking in the mirror at night, he had to remind himself he wasn't a monster.

The demon found the whole thing quite amusing.

What ruined it was the nagging respect. At first, the two of them held a simple relationship based on survival and selfish motives: Naruto needed power and Kyuubi had it. Kyuubi needed the annoying brat to stay alive and Naruto knew it. Both loathed each other, and barely acknowledged one another if possible.

However, Naruto was a human and all humans were animals at heart. He recognized how powerful the beast within him was and the fact that he was a superior, accomplished predator. Thus, the respect was bound to form one time or another.

Kyuubi, a being of chakra, instinct and cunning malevolent intelligence, tolerated the human because he was necessary and could eventually be manipulated in the future if things played out in his favor. Despite the fact that his demands of "chakra for rent" it was nothing more than a bluff that the bijuu didn't bother to call. However, the idiotic spunk he had made the brat stick out. Naruto wasn't just a run of the mill human. He had guts, really, to demand anything of the fox, much less a bit of his essence. His chakra. A bit of himself.

Not that the human would ever find that out. The Kyuubi had a bit of pride left and wouldn't admit to himself, much less the dumb kid that he was handing out bits of his soul all for a bit of bluster.

And as such, a mutual respect formed that neither one bothered to try to understand.

That didn't move the kid up from "brat" though. No one had every truly earned his respect: this feeling was still grudging with a resentful undercurrent. Kyuubi dreamed of how he would kill his container, run him through with his claws, at night…the day. Whatever time wasn't spent in plotting or boredom.

The brat had come running into his mindscape in shock after his first kill. Stuttering incoherently, the brat had glared up at the cage, eyes angry and dead at the same time. Red eyes had bored down at his container, studying the human and amusement coursed through him along with something the fox couldn't identify. Didn't bother to contemplate.

For a long time the kid (when had he started thinking kid?) stared up blankly, eyes watering barely keeping his slipping self-control. The restraint impressed him. Still weak. Most demons (all demons!) wouldn't think twice after a kill and most often be praised. Lectures came if it was ill-performed or worst, boring. But humans cried all the time, especially ones that were messed up in the head, and for the limits of his species, the kid was doing well.

And then he lost the fight. Tears poured down, trickling down his cheeks and hitting the cage with soft plops. The brat had started shouted, screeching in that annoying ungodly voice of his, accusing the demon of nothing and everything.

He watched in silence, reveling in the comforting, familiar feeling of twisted happiness that came from his container's pain. When the brat had finally winded down a bit, panting and red, the Kyuubi sneered at him (finally he could a word in edge wise) telling him how pathetic he was and that he should be proud he was finally able to act like a ninja without him.

Of course any inkling of respect (something else) was ruined by the waterworks and shrieks.

Surprise had taken over his features; clearly he hadn't expected a backhand compliment from the snarking, usually condescending demon.

Then quietly, the kid had asked. "Really? did you think it was impressive."

Of course, he had a reputation to maintain, and didn't want any doubts to start worming into his heart and squashed any thoughts of fondness. Kyuubi cut it in the quick and had sneered rudely. No one would think he was going soft, including him.

Bitterness, resentment, old rage and anger. Dangerous.

Frustration, sadness, and buried anger. Self-destructive.

The two different minds weren't a good combination in any circumstances. Privately, the demon found it scary (disturbing) how much the kid resonated with him. But he said nothing to the kid about it. It would just set off another rant and he preferred to save his ears the pain.

That was when he started saying kit. The day after the first kill was when the nightmares began. The Kyuubi loved riling the kid up for his own entertainment (no matter how childish it was, he loved pushing the kid's buttons) and for other reasons he couldn't (wouldn't) identify. It took the kid's mind off the nightmares and meant fewer complaints for the demon to sit through.

At the end of the day, it was still selfishness. The demon refused to consider (believe) anything else.

Words: 989

Tada! Unfortunately all my documents were trashed so I'm gonna have to start up the next chapter of Switch from scratch. From what I remember I started writing this because someone had a complaint about Kyuubi calling Naruto "kit" and how it was urealistic. Or something.

5/1/10


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